The History of Online Communities and How they “Shrink” the World
Online communities have reached an all-time high, and users can likely find a community that suits them, no matter how niche their interests may be. These online communities, like Facebook Groups, Twitter, and Reddit, have changed the way we interact with one another and played a part in “shrinking the globe.” It is no longer required to meet someone face-to-face to form a relationship with them; now, members of online communities can form bonds over shared interests without ever meeting in person. Some online communities focus on broad interests like gardening, while others are so niche that they have less than 100 members globally. Though this sounds like a futuristic concept, online communities have existed in some form since the early days of the Internet.
The earliest form of online communities came about in the 1970s and were simple text-only pages. One example is Talkomatic, the first-ever multi-user online chat system. Participants could see others “typing” in real-time and respond accordingly. This online community was small and limited to those who were relatively computer-literate. Run on the PLATO system at the University of Illinois, this “chat room” allowed up to 30 participants at most. (Zoppi, 2018).
In the mid-1970s, online “bulletin boards” began popping up. With many of these early online communities, users joined boards to discuss things that interested them, such as sports teams, cars, or reading. These boards were text-based and allowed users to respond to “posts” by others within the group. You could think of them as a very early version of the Facebook wall, except without instantaneous responses, as many were limited to one user at a time. There was no direct chat feature, but these bulletin boards allowed for the spread of information among multiple users in different geographic locations. (Goodall, 2022).
In 1985, one of the most famous online communities was born: The WELL, also known as Whole Earth Electronic Link. This is considered one of the oldest continuous online communities. Users paid a subscription fee to participate in “conference room” style chats. The platform grew quickly and had more than 7,000 members in the 1990s (Rheingold, 2012). Though online communities existed before The WELL, many consider this platform the true start of online community since its prominence made it truly far-reaching.
True “social media” networks first came about in the early 2000s with the launch of sites like Six Degrees, Facebook, and LinkedIn. These platforms were designed to integrate a user’s in-person connections into their online world. Users could search for people they already knew and add them as online friends. As these platforms, along with other social media sites like Twitter and Reddit, grew, they improved communication among members. Features like live chat, push notifications, video conferencing, and more on these social networks increase the ease of use and a user’s ability to communicate. More recently, these platforms have started offering closed “group” options to facilitate community in smaller, more niche groups.
Facebook Groups are one of the most prominent examples of this, as there are over 600 million groups on the site (O’Neill,2010). These groups, which require administrative approval to join, allow users to connect over a shared interest or experience. There is also an option to make these groups “secret,” which makes them unsearchable and by invitation only. Like many others, I use Facebook groups regularly. One of my favorites is a “Houseplants for Beginners” group that I joined a few years ago. This group is relatively lax and allows users to post photos of new plants, ask for advice, and recommend easy beginner plants for new members. Though I am less active than I once was, I still enjoy offering advice to those struggling to keep plants happy.
An interesting phenomenon of online groups is their ability to create in-person connections as well. Though any online community could arrange a meet-up for members, some groups are specifically designed to help members connect in real life. One example of this is the University of Florida’s famous “Class of XXXX Roommate Search” groups. When I was first accepted to UF in 2017, I immediately joined a Facebook group for 2017 freshmen looking for roommates. I met my roommate in the group, and she is my closest friend to this day, years later.
As time passes, social media platforms will continue to develop ways to connect users over shared interests. This could be as simple as promoting a hashtag to as complex as a secret Facebook group. It is no surprise that people are seeking connection and community online; they’ve been doing it since the creation of the internet. Even today, as the complexity of online communities and their popularity varies, the core of all online communities is the same: they facilitate connection for people with shared interests. Community is no longer limited to those with whom you share a geographic or familiar relationship. Now, communities can be created to facilitate information sharing and bonding for nearly any topic, no matter how niche. Prior to the riseof online communities, you may never find someone who is into your favorite band the same way, let alone an entire group of people. Now, a few quick searches later, you can connect with your favorite band’s groupies. The same goes for nearly any topic of hobby. Social media has expanded the world, while online communities help “shrink” it.
References:
Goodall, M. (2022, October 8). A history of online communities. Guild blog: Community Building Best Practices, Trends and Insights. https://guild.co/blog/history-of-online-communities/
O’Neill, N. (2010, February 1). Google Now Indexes 620 Million Facebook Groups. Adweek. https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/google-now-indexes-620-million-facebook-groups/
Rheingold, H. (2012, July 6). What The Well’s Rise and Fall Tell Us about Online Community. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/what-the-wells-rise-and-fall-tell-us-about-online-community/259504/
Zoppi, S. (2018). TalkomaticTM I-FAQ. About Talkomatic. https://talkomatic.sjzoppi.com/about_en.html